The Marriage Law
by TARDISdoctor
Summary: After the devastating losses from the war, the Ministry has introduced a new marriage law. Who will be partnered with who? Romance blooms and friendships are tested. Will Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship survive this law or is this the end of Golden Trio?
1. Chapter 1

**pairings: Draco/Hermione, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Ginny, Harry/Luna **

**plot: marriage law**

**I do not own Harry Potter, that wonderful world belongs to J.K. Rowling**

The characters might be a bit out of character, so sorry about that.

**There will be quotes from the books- I won't specify all of them but there definitely will be many of them that you may or may not pick out. If there are any other quotes from other sources used I will state them. :)**

"Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast" Dumbledore began, spreading his arms magnificently in a welcoming gesture. "As you are well aware, Lord Voldemort" there was a collective gasp in the Great Hall, "has been defeated by Mr. Harry Potter and peace is upon us once again" at this Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff erupted into loud cheers and applause to the boy-who-lived, whilst Slytherin remained stubbornly silent; many of the students had at least one parent in Azkaban due to the victory. Dumbledore smiled, "yes, yes, well done Mr. Potter. However, I warn you that there will be many changes to the school, the main being a law recently passed by the Ministry of Magic to help recover from the devastating losses from the war - a marriage law"

The Great Hall burst into gasps - the Ministry? Marriage Law? Was this a joke? Dumbledore must have gone 'round the bend! Dumbledore raised his arms again, "Silence!" he raised his voice only slightly, but every member of the student body heard him loud and clear, "this law will be affecting those who are seventeen years old - those of age in the wizarding world. After the feast, each female affected will be called to the front and the sorting hat will pair you with a man most suitable to your personality" Dumbledore looked around the hall; seeing the anguished faces of the young men and woman who were about to loose their freedom and childhood because of a war - a war many played a big part in; a war that already robbed these poor children (for in his eyes, they were still only children) of their childhood so early in their life. "On the rather sour note, let the feast begin!"

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, the boy in question raised his head, a chicken leg grasped firmly in each hand and his mouth full, "waddissit?" he said, his mouth almost overflowing with food. Hermione cringed, "For goodness sake, it's not like you're underfed or something" she said in disgust, "use your manners". She honestly couldn't believe that she had actually liked this guy earlier on in her life - he was disgusting! Ginny slid up to the trio, Harry and Ginny had mutually decided to end their relationship, they agreed that they had believed that they were soul mates, however they saw each other as a member of their family, not their lover. They remained close friends.

"so, what do you guys think of this marriage law?" she said, eyeing her brother carefully - with her luck he'd explode no matter _who _she was paired with, even Harry. Hermione glared at her food, "They can't just force us into something like this, this kind of relationship is about _trust_ and _love. _They could at least give us a choice of who to marry" Harry nodded his agreement, "I know why they're doing this and I understand, but does it have to start so young? We haven't even graduated and they expect us to get married and I guess we'll eventually have to have kids" he sighed, "I just wish I could have chosen my wife, it ruins the whole concept of marriage"

The younger years were already placing bets on who was going to be paired with who, much to the distaste of the seventh and eighth years. Couples were huddled together, talking in hushed voices about their future. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny remained in a comfortable silence (well, Ron was eating his food heartily, whilst his best friends and sister had lost their appetite completely).

Dumbledore stood up again when it became clear that the students had finished their meal and the plates had been cleared away. "So, now that we are all fed and watered, the females of each year group will be called and paired" Dumbledore stated heavily. "Seventh years" Professor McGonagall called, her eyes were full of sympathy towards the students as they resignedly made their way to the front. Ron seemed to keep his eyes on his sister at all times, as if his mere vision could protect her from this law. McGonagall slowly opened the scroll of names.

"Andrews, Samatha" she started

The Ravenclaw girl climbed the steps to the stool, trembling tremendously, and the sorting hat was placed on her head.

"Roland Abberley" the hat called.

The sorting continued until

"Lovegood, Luna" McGonagall said, the girl skipped to the stool and seemed perfectly calm, seconds past as the hat seemed to debate her match until "Harry Potter" was shouted. Gasps raced through the Great Hall, but Harry showed no emotion whatsoever, neither did Luna.

"Weasley, Ginevra". Ron sat up straight in his chair, he seemed to he muttering underneath his breath, _'Not a Slytherin. Not a Slytherin' _ The hat sat on her head, Ginny's eyes widened she began shaking her head until she screamed, "THE CHAMBERS HAVE NOT AFFECTED ME IN ANY WAY" before tearing off the hat, though not before it called out the name "Blaise Zabini". Ginny collapsed onto the floor, the memories of the chamber over-taking her mind. Then hell froze over. Blaise Zabini got out of his seat and walked over to where his new fiancee was sitting, he knelt beside her and picked her up. "Excuse me, professor" he said and then walked out of the Great Hall towards the Hospital Wing.

Ron glared at the door, "No" he shouted, "My sister will NOT marry a deatheater" he turned to Dumbledore, "Zabini isn't her match," he insisted, "She can't marry a deatheater". To the surprise of the Great Hall, Draco Malfoy stood up and glared at Ron, "You know, Weaslebee, Blaise isn't a deatheater, so maybe you should actually have some facts before you accuse a person of being one" he said, his grey eyes piercing Ron's sky blue. Ron scowled, "He's your best friend, best friends with a deatheater is just as bad" he retorted. Malfoy glared, "Contrary to popular belief, I am not a deatheater" he said, raising his left sleeve to reveal a pale, unmarked wrist.

Ron stared, gobsmacked at the unblemished skin, "I…I..thought…I" he smattered, going red he sat down though he still glared at the Slytherin Prince. There was an uneasy silence in the Great Hall after this exchange, but McGonagall coughed and called the eighth year females to the front.

"Abbot, Hannah" was called and was paired with "Neville Longbottom"

"Parkinson, Pansy" McGonagall called, a short silence was followed by "Ronald Weasley!"

Pansy's shrieked and ran towards Malfoy, "Draco, darling, wouldn't you rather marry me instead?" she pleaded, her blue eyes almost brimming with tears. Malfoy just looked at her and shook his head. Harry was poking Ron in the shoulder, trying in vain to get his friend to awaken from his dead faint. Eventually, Lavender took pity on the chosen one and uttered 'renervate" **(i think that's how you spell it?) **and the boy woke up.

Hermione zoned out until she heard her name being called, taking a deep breath she walked forward her head held high and her body not even trembling. The sorting hat was placed on her head.

_Such violent memories; such loss; such hardship. A young woman with the bravery of a Gryffindor, the intelligence of a Ravenclaw, the loyalty of a Hufflepuff and although you deny it, the cunning of a Slytherin. _The hat said in her head, Hermione closed her eyes. _But who to put you with? A strong man who will protect you and take control? No? How about an intelligent man who has suffered the same losses, a man who will let you be yourself and won't hold you down, a man who will protect you when you need protecting but knows when to step back? _Hermione opened her eyes. That sounded like the man for her. The hat seemed to grin, "Your partner is…Draco Malfoy"


	2. Chapter 2

The Great Hall was in utter silence. The Gryffindor Princess and the Slytherin Prince? One would end up dead before the week was over. Harry and Ron stood up and were about to protest when Luna grabbed their hands and pulled them down, in a voice that could be heard throughout the silent Great Hall she said, "It makes perfect sense, boys, they balance each other out perfectly. She is full of compassion and warmth but her fiery temper and her intelligence - she's the brightest witch of the age. But look at Malfoy, he's cunning and sly and he's also intelligent, I'd even go as far as saying he's the brightest wizard of the age. Imagine them as a pair, they'd be a force to be reckoned with". Harry seemed to relax only slightly, "think of all the things he's done to her, Luna" he said, "I can't stand by and let my best friend be pulled into such a marriage". Ron had been turning redder and redder as time passed, eventually he seemed to snap. "That is IT" he yelled, stomping towards Hermione, "YOU" he pointed at her face, " to belong to ME". Hermione grimaced, "Ronald Bilius Wealsey, evidently you have no respect _whatsoever_ towards the female population, after I saved YOUR life countless times and helped you with all YOUR homework throughout my eight years of knowing you" she took a deep breath, "I don't belong with ANYONE, Ronald, do you hear me? NO-ONE". Ron turned an angry red, "So you're just going to dump me in a ditch and run off with a deatheater ferret?" he yelled. Hermione's eyes widened, "Of course not!" she exclaimed. Ron turned a triumphant eye to her, "Then choose _me_ over _him_; marry me" he said.

Hermione shook her head, "Ron, I love you as a brother not a husband, this is something I have to deal with on my own" she said. Ron seemed to miss her look of complete regret and exploded, "Of course you would choose _him,_" he snarled and pulled him hand back to strike his once best friend. A pale hand grasped his wrist in a vice like grip, "I would greatly appreciate it if you _didn't_ strike my fiancee," non other than the Slytherin Prince himself growled. Ron went pale. Slowly, the redhead relaxed and roughly pulled away from Malfoy. The whole school seemed to have held their breath during those tense few seconds and the sighs of relief where heard throughout the hall. Ron began to walk away, towards the boy-who-lived (who was frozen in confusion, anger and awe). Malfoy turned and fixed his icy glare onto the back of the red-haired boy's head, "Oh and Weasle?" he said, "Lay a finger on my fiancee and you'll wish you were never born" and then stalked out of the hall.

Hermione watched this exchange in curiosity (it wasn't everyday when you become engaged to your childhood enemy, your best friend nearly strikes you and said enemy defends you) now the real question. Who should she follow? The red-haired man she considered her best friend, the man who had stood by her all her life, had been there through everything and had nearly struck her just then? Or the blond-haired man, her childhood enemy to fiancee, the man who defended her and threatened the man who nearly hurt her after years of torturing her himself? Personally, she felt an anger towards Ron, didn't he see that she couldn't ruin his life by taking away his shot at a happy marriage? In resignation, she avoided the eyes of her house and her friends and followed Malfoy out of the hall.

She found him sitting in a charms corridor, staring at the wall with a frown on his face. He was muttering to himself. "father…disappointed…failed…why…her…she…" Hermione heard as she slowly made her way towards her future husband. "Malfoy?" she asked, her chocolate brown eyes full of worry and concern. Malfoy looked up startled, "you followed me?" he seemed genuinely shocked. Hermione nodded, "you defended me and are my future husband, of course I would follow you" she whispered, her hand resting on his. She didn't know what compelled her to do this, but it just felt like the right thing to do.

Malfoy recoiled at her touch, "no" he muttered, "my father.." Hermione frowned, "you can't let him stop us from _trying_ to make this marriage work" she said, exasperated. Draco shook his head, "you have no idea what I've gone through, Granger, it's not that simple". Hermione turned to him, "then tell me, Malfoy, tell me what you've been through, I want to know. I want to _help_ you" she urged. Malfoy gave her a small smile (the first she had ever seen on his face) and said, "it's too long, maybe another time," before he stood up and reached out a hand for hers. "I believe it's time for us to find our accommodations, don't you?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as the couple walked into the Great Hall together, they gave each other small nods and retreated to their own houses. Ginny (who had returned with Blaise after a calming potion) turned to her, her mouth hanging open, "Wait, so Hermione got _Draco Malfoy, _the _most wanted bachelor of the century_?" she exclaimed, seeing the looks her friends were giving her she shrugged, "you are guys, except Hermione, we girls tend to appreciate the fine art that are men" she defended, and winked at Hermione. Hermione coughed to hide her laugh, and used her curly brown hair to hide her blush. Only Ginny knew of her minuscule crush on Malfoy in her fourth and fifth years. The boy's replies were interrupted by Dumbledore standing up again.

"Now that the pairings are complete, the couples will be taken to the new wing of the castle to their dormitories. However, before we depart" he grinned slightly, "Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the caste has this year been extended to include Screaming yo-yo's, Fanged Frisbees and Ever Bashing Boomerangs, along with and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes **(i think?) **products. The full list compromises of some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it. As ever, I would like to remind you all that the Forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students, as is the village to all those below third year." **(taken from the goblet of fire i believe, dumbledore's speech). **

McGonagall loudly called for the couples to follow her as she wound her way through the maze of corridors that created Hogwarts. They reached the portrait of Bamabas the Barmy and McGonagall said "Acid Pops" and the portrait opened to reveal a high ceiling room, with light and dark brown walls and a brick fireplace. There was a semi-circled window near the ceiling and french doors that opened into the picturesque landscape that surround the wizarding school. The floor was wood with soft carpets, there were huge comfortable arm chairs that looked like they might swallow the more petite students in the year. There were lamps that created a homely and warm glow in the room, making the students instantly as ease with their surroundings. Two portraits were on the wall, one of Anne Boleyn and the other of a knight in shining armour next to a snow white steed.

McGonagall turned, "this is the eighth year common room, through the door on the right there will be separate rooms for each…couple", she then turned and left. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins moved towards the door to their rooms, but Hermione stopped them. "Look, I know we all have our differences but I think our joint predicament could help us get through this and support one another" she said, her head held high and her eyes daring anyone to resist her, she continued "I think that after eight years of being together, we should be able to trust one another, which is why I propose we all try to…talk and find out more about each other. As a plus, we might find out more about our significant other". A Slytherin was already shaking his head, "Granger, I don't want to contaminate myself with your mudblood germs" he sneered, seeming to forget the warning her fiancee had said at the welcome feast.

It seemed that majority of the year was against the very thought of _trusting_ a Slytherin, or even worse, forming a friendship. The year left, leaving only Harry, Hermione, Malfoy, Blaise, Pansy, Luna and Ginny (Ron had left with the group, still angry with Hermione). Hermione huffed, "you'd think that they'd be more welcoming to the end of all this prejudice", Pansy shrugged "not everyone can get past it; Blaise and I were lucky and we weren't under such strict influence of such prejudiced parents and you now what we were like" she said, she glanced at Malfoy, "Draco, however, had a harder time changing his views, like every pureblood family he was raised by the strict teachings that muggleborns were less magic. It's not easy to go against everything that you were taught by your parents".

Harry rubbed his chin, "Now I know that we'll probably never get along" he said to the Slytherins, "but I"m willing to call a truce for now and we can show them that even Gryffindors and Slytherins can have a civil, even friendly conversation". The three Slytherins stared at him momentarily, then Malfoy nodded, "For once, I agree with you, Potter", Blaise grinned "Ah, the things they let slide for Hermione". Both Malfoy and Harry raised their eyebrows identically and Malfoy smacked him on the head.

Ginny grinned, "I think we should play Never have I Ever". At the others acceptance and an explanation to the purebloods. The unlikely group set about their game.


	3. Chapter 3

Luna opened her dreamy eyes, "Never have I ever…believed in nargles"

The group rolled their eyes as Luna took a sip of her lemonade (alcohol was impossible to get with Dumbledore preventing it), Harry shrugged "Never have I ever…broken a bone" before taking a sip. His eyebrows rose to his hairline when Malfoy took a sip as well.

Blaise eyed the group warily, "Never have I ever…fallen down in public" before looking around expectantly, Ginny grimaced and took a small sip, glaring at her fiancee. Pansy smirked, "You're all doing such _safe_ questions, how about, never have I ever…gone skinny dipping" she grinned before taking a sip, Malfoy and Blaise rolled their eyes and laughed. "Was that the time when you were with Marcus Flint?" Blaise laughed, recalling how Malfoy and himself had unintentionally walked in on the couple. The best friends burst into laughter at Pansy's red face.

Malfoy straightened his shoulders, "Never have I ever…done something I regret"

He, Blaise, Hermione, Harry and Ginny all drank. They looked at each other warily before Ginny spoke. "Never have I ever…had a crush on someone my friends don't approve of"

Hermione blushed and drank, as did Pansy.

Harry looked at Malfoy, "Never have I ever…been abused by one or both of my parents" Malfoy glared at the chosen one and grimacing, took a sip. The group looked at him in shock, "my dad" was all Malfoy said.

Soon, the questions became more personal.

"Never have I ever been locked in a closet for eleven years of my life"

"Never have I ever seen my parents tortured"

"Never have I ever been forced to do something to keep my parents alive"

"Never have I ever had to watch as my parents were killed"

"Never have I ever been told to kill someone"

"Never have I ever took the blame to save another person"

"Never have I ever been kidnapped and tortured"

The seven looked at each other. Harry sighed, "Look, I don't know how or why, but I guess I trust you now. But Malfoy, I don't understand; you showed Dumbledore your dark mark before you had to pretend to kill him" Malfoy's eyes flashed and he suddenly stood up and walked out of the room.

Pansy sighed, "Don't judge him, he's had it hard. I know it's not my place to say, but he went through a lot to protect his parents and they still died. He blames himself; him taking the dark mark was supposed to protect them from the Dark Lord, but it didn't. Even though Lucius was a unloving father that constantly abused him, Draco loved him. After the Dark Lord's death those who didn't truly support him found that their dark mark faded". Hermione looked down, "I should go see him" she said and followed her fiancee for the second time that day.

She found him in their bedroom, he was sitting on their bed looking at a small photograph in his hands. Hermione stood and watched him from the doorway. "My mother was the only person who loved me" she heard Malfoy whisper. Slowly, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Shhh, she always will love you and always will be with you" she soothed, Malfoy shook his head, "I'm a failure, I should have protected her, but I couldn't, how do you know she still loves me?" Hermione rubbed his shoulder, "I know because I lost my father in the war, but I can still feel him near me encouraging me, watching over me and protecting me"

Malfoy woke from his awkward position on the couch (after much arguing, he finally got Hermione to sleep on the bed). He cracked his neck and stretched, looking at his fiancee he had to admit she was very beautiful. Her hair had lost its unruliness, and now rested in curled ringlets that framed her face. She had high cheekbones with a pale complexion, a few freckles on her nose. She had changed into shorts and a random shirt she found (neither could be bothered to care about their appearances as they were so tired) and it turned out it was his Slytherin quidditch jersey. Green sure did look good on her.

Malfoy shook his head and, after his shower, walked out to the shared kitchen. No-one was up yet as it was only about 6 in the morning, but Malfoy tended to enjoy the peace the early morning gave him. Blaise appeared soon after him. "You look like you slept on the couch" he said the second he saw Malfoy. Malfoy shrugged, avoiding Blaise's surprised eyes. "Merlin, Draco Malfoy the Slytherin Prince, let _Hermione Granger_ sleep in the bed while he slept on the couch?" Blaise shook his head, "Who are you and what have you done with Draco Malfoy?" he muttered.

Hermione bounded in a second later, she froze when she saw the two Slytherins; she had expected the common room to be empty like in the Gryffindor common room, so she hadn't bothered to change her clothes. Her face flushed as she saw Blaise's incredulous look at the Slytherin jersey she was wearing, before calming herself and walking confidently to to fridge. "Morning!" she said chirpily, setting up breakfast for herself. She was surprised to find Malfoy had a cooked meal in front of him and was already eating. "You got house elves to cook for you _this early in the morning?_" she almost shrieked, her eyes burning with disapproval. Malfoy looked at her, "Yes, Granger, I decided I'd make the house elves work instead of being simple and actually using the kitchen here to cook for myself" he said sarcastically. Hermione's jaw dropped. "You. Can. _Cook?_" she squeaked. Malfoy nodded and put his plate in the sink, enchanting it to wash and dry. "Yes, dearest, don't look so surprised" he said cheekily before patting her head (an easy feat as he was a tall 6"3 to her 5"5) and walked towards the door. Hermione glared at him and threw a tea bag at him, hitting him right on the head.

"Oh you _did not_ just do that" he warned, glaring at his fiancee, "Now I have to wash my hair _again". _Hermione smirked, "Well, sweetie pie, I guess you'd better get started"

"Well, honey, I could just do this…" Malfoy said, walking back to her, his face centimetres from her. Hermione brace herself for a kiss. But yelped at the intense cold in her hair. Draco Malfoy had just put soap in her hair.

Hermione forced a smile, "Sneaky, dearest, but you're going to have to do better than _that_" she smirked and grabbed the collar of his t-shirt, Malfoy's eyes widened in surprise and before he registered anything, Hermione kissed his cheek. When she pulled away, Malfoy looked at her, dumbstruck. He wasn't prepared for this. Completely frozen, he didn't see Hermione's bucket of soapy water until she had dunked it over his head. And ran away laughing.

Blaise laughed heartily, "Man, she got you good"

**what do you guys think? is it good is it bad? I'd love to hear your opinions to help me improve it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Harry, Hermione, Malfoy, Blaise, Ginny and Luna made their way as a group to the Great Hall, Dumbledore had summoned "those affected by the law" there to discuss marriages and their future with their significant other.

"It is to my great disapproval that the ministry have now set guidelines and dates for your future. You will find the complete list in your room tonight, but I shall share some of them with you. You have all been set a wedding date, the earliest being next saturday, which I will reveal later. After your marriage, the Ministry states that you must consummate that marriage within 24 hours or face Azkaban, they have also banned any form, magic or muggle, of contraception. You are expected to conceive within a year and again after a maximum three years. The birth of a squib will be investigated and solved"

"But sir, if we have to continue to reproduce, how will we support such a large family finically?" Hermione exclaimed, Dumbledore shook his head, "The ministry will be helping you for the first year of your marriage, however, after that you are expected to have gained a steady job and a healthy income"

"Now to the dates of the weddings" Dumbledore began.

"Lavender Brown and Seamus Finigan will be married next Saturday 27th Janurary,"

after he read out a months worth of names and dates

"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy will be married on the 14th February"

"Luna Lovegood and Harry Potter will be married on the 20th February"

"Ginevra Weasley and Blaise Zabini will be married on the 23rd February"

Hermione shrieked the second the door closed behind the group of six, "A month! I have _one month_ to plan a wedding" she was already noting down her schedule in a brown leather back diary that was almost overflowing with bits of paper. Ginny screamed, "oh my _god_! we need to find dresses, flowers, oh and an engagement party, and Blaise needs to meet my parents and…" she was cut off by Luna, "Don't forget the food and the wedding cake!"

The boys groaned, "Remind me why I'm getting married again?" Blaise muttered, "Oh right, because I've got no choice". Malfoy sighed, "I was hoping to have _some_ of the freedom of bachelorhood after Hogwarts, I guess not".

Hermione bounded up to him, "Malfoy, you need to owl your parents and arrange a time for them to meet with us and my parents" she began, "and you'll need to find some nice clothes for our wedding, I want us to match, so how about I get my dress first and we'll get your clothes together" Malfoy raised his eyebrows, "Since when did you take an interest in fashion?" he asked, surprised. But Hermione was on a roll, "and can you figure out who you best man is and…" The other two boys in the room were looking at Malfoy with sympathy, Harry knew how the girl got when she had a goal. Malfoy turned his attention back to his still talking fiancee "And we should start calling each other by our first names", Malfoy started, "Sorry what?". Hermione glared at him, "Were you even listening?"

Malfoy smiled sheepishly (not something he did often) and shrugged, "uh, I remember something about parents, a dress and first names?". His fiancee smacked him on the head and stormed off, muttering something about a stupid ferret. Malfoy groaned, "What did I do?". Blaise laughed, "Draco, here's all you have to now about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid"Harry looked at him in surprise, "Since when did you become the expert on women?" Blaise shrugged, "It's something my dad always told me, i think he read it in a book" Malfoy huffed, "I'm not stupid" he muttered.

Ginny smirked, "for the brightest wizard of your age, you sure are an idiot" she said, shaking her head as she left the room. Malfoy turned to Blaise "What did I say?".

"okay this is just too much" Draco groaned, he had just read through Hermione and his 'future' and found that they had been set dates for even small things like dates or even a check up to the doctor. "They can't plan out our futures like this" Ginny fumed, her faces nearly as red as her hair. Blaise put his hand over hers, "Shh it's okay, everything will be okay". Pansy began to sob,"I'm supposed to be pregnant with Ron's child no longer than three months after our marriage" she whispered, "I can't do this, not Ron's child, he hates me". Draco and Blaise rushed to her side, much like how Ron and Harry used to rush to Hermione's side when they were feeling overprotective. "Did he hurt you?" Blaise began, "Because if he did I swear I will kill him" Draco finished. Pansy shook her head, "No, he glares at me all the time and doesn't want to talk to me about our future, or about how we're going to make the marriage work with children". Hermione's eyes flashed, "Ron's being a git, don't worry about him".

It was the weekend and the girls had dragged the boys out to Hogsmeade to meet up with their parents. Hermione's mum had been reluctantly ecstatic at the thought of her little girl getting married, even if it was a law. Hermione grabbed Malfoy's hand and pulled him towards her mum, "Mum!" she yelled, almost toppling the older woman over in a hug. Malfoy stood awkwardly beside the two embracing women, he could see the others trying to stifle their laughter at his discomfort. "Mum, meet Draco, my fiancee", Mrs. Granger studied the young man in front of her, taking in his tousled blond hair, his stormy grey eyes and pale complexion down to his neat attire and cautious stance. "Oh Hermione, darling, he's absolutely gorgeous, I guess you like books just as much as my little girl, Draco?" Malfoy's strict childhood of etiquette was the only thing that saved him, "Yes, Mrs. Granger, I do love reading, but I doubt very much that anyone could read more than 'Mione". Hermione looked in awe as Draco continued to make sophisticated small talk with her mum. "Ah, let's go join the others in the Three Broomsticks?" she said, grabbing Draco's hand in hers and her mother's hand in her other and almost dragged them to their friends.

It was only a matter of time before Hermione's mum unintentionally mentioned Draco's parents, "Draco, dear, where are your parents? When are they coming? I would love to meet them" the whole table stopped talking and watched the emotions on the Slytherin's face. Draco kept his cool, "My parents are dead, Mrs. Granger" he said, "They died in the war". He stood up, "Excuse me" then walked outside. Mrs. Granger looked horrified, "Oh dear, oh dear, the poor boy, damn me and my mouth" she muttered, Hermione put her hand on her mother's shoulder, "you didn't know, mum".

Draco came back a minute later, acting as though his dead parents hadn't been mentioned. It was many hours before Mrs. Granger's mouth struck again, "Oh, you both are absolutely perfect for each other, and oh, you're both so gorgeous," she laughed, "I can't wait until Hermione starts popping out my adorable little grandchildren". It was hard to tell who reacted first; Draco or Hermione. Draco, who had been drinking some butterbeer choked and started coughing, whilst Hermione, who had been passing a plate of potatoes to Ginny, dropped the plate so it smashed on the table.

The group burst into laughter at their red faces as they stubbornly avoided the other's eye contact. Hermione coughed, "we haven't really planned that far ahead, mum" she began, but Harry said "But Hermione, the marriage law states that we have to have children within the first year, and consummate the marriage 24 hours after the wedding". If it was possible, Draco and Hermione blushed a darker red, whilst Mrs. Granger had a triumphant look on her face.

Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ginny and Luna arranged to meet up the following day (Sunday) to shop for wedding dresses and such. As they left, Blaise, Harry and Draco made some excuses and separated from the group. Blaise said, "okay, how are we going to play this?" Harry shrugged, "Yeah, it's not like there are many jewellers around here". Draco shrugged, "Diagon Alley will have a jewellers, right? We're bound to find the right rings there"


	5. Chapter 5

**I read through the last chapter and noticed I contradicted myself before about Malfoy's parents, so sorry about that and thanks LadyF for pointing it out to me. **

The three boys were lucky to find an open jewellers, the shopkeeper nearly fainted when Draco Malfoy, famous teen billionaire and the most wanted man of the century, Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, and Blaise Zabini, another teen billionaire, walked into his shop. The three young men wondered around, searching for the perfect ring for their supposedly perfect other. Harry found one almost immediately. It was a diamond set into a gold band, the typical engagement ring. Blaise found a ruby engagement ring; a gryffindor red ruby encased in diamonds with a simple silver band.

Only Draco was having trouble finding the perfect ring, the shopkeeper went up to him, "A beautiful emerald for the perfect match of the Slytherin Prince?" he asked, holding up an elaborate emerald ring. Draco shook his head, "she's in Gryffindor. She'll want something simple, yet elegant an sophisticated. Nothing fancy, i don't know, something with a history behind it, something meaningful" he said, shaking his head. "Ugh, it's hopeless, I'll never find the perfect ring".

"My dear boy, you haven't looked at every ring here" an old woman, about 80 years old, rasped. She held up a red velvet case, "This is the last one". Draco opened the case and stared at the ring in his hands. Over his shoulder, Harry whistled and Blaise said "woah". Inside was an intricately designed silver ring, the silver bent in ways that seemed almost impossible, resting on top was a medium sized diamond. Harry said, "If that doesn't make her faint in happiness, I don't know what will" Draco grinned, "yeah, it's perfect". The older woman smiled, "it was once worn by a beautiful princess, her fiancee gave it to her and ever since it has been passed down from generation to generation" Blaise frowned, "But then why are you selling it?" The woman smiled wider, "I have no children so I can't do what my ancestors did before me, so I am giving it to you, but you must promise me, promise me that the girl who you give this to will be happy with you, that you will give her your undivided attention, that she will feel like the most beautiful girl in the world when she is with you, promise me".

Draco frowned, "but the thing is, it's not our choice to get married, so I don't think she'll ever really be happy with me". The woman smiled wider, "That is for you to decide, but I have a feeling that she'll be happier than you imagine".

That night, three young men hid three velvet boxes, one red, one white and one blue. They had to wait for the perfect moment.

"Oh Hermione, you'll find your dress soon enough" Mrs. Weasley said, Ginny and Luna had already found their dresses. Luna's was a simple white dress with a dip in the back, lined by diamonds. Ginny's was a long white dress with a small lace sleeves that rested on her shoulders, the bodice was covered in intricate patterns and the waist line was clinched to show off her small waist.

It had been eight hours and Hermione hadn't found her dress. But the dressmaker was persistent, she insisted that there was the perfect dress for her. "Okay, this is the last dress I try on, if it doesn't work out I'll wear jeans and a t-shirt to my wedding," she vowed.

She walked out of the changing room and Mrs. Granger immediately began to tear up, "Oh my baby girl's getting married" she sobbed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. "You look absolutely stunning, Hermione dear, just look at the mirror". When Hermione looked she saw an elegant young woman in a strapless white dress with silver embroidery along the bodice, the dress itself was slightly ruffled and Hermione couldn't help but think of Belle's yellow dress in Beauty and the Beast.

"I'll take it" she whispered. When she reached into her pocket for her galleons, the dressmaker stopped her. "no no, milady, the groom must pay for the gown, it is tradition" Hermione grinned, "In that case…charge it the Mr. Draco Malfoy"

The second the three girls entered their common room, they were met by three very annoyed looking men. The people in the common room quietened down to see the fireworks, "Would you please explain how you could spend so much money in one day?" Blaise asked Ginny, glaring at her, "and why you had to use my gringotts vault?" Ginny smiled sweetly, "Well, Blaise dearest, the groom must always pay for the dress" she sang, Draco groaned, "great, Hermione, you spent all that money on _one dress_?" Hermione blushed, "I don't usually spend so much, but wait until you see it" she said, "oh wait, you have to wait another three weeks" then the three girls almost skipped out of the room. Harry groaned, "If this is what married life is, I quit".

Draco rubbed his face, "seven thousand galleons, _seven freaking thousand galleons, _that dress better be worth it, for Merlin's sake" he groaned.


	6. Chapter 6

"McGonagall is _mental_" Blaise groaned, Harry could only nod in agreement, "Five feet on the history of transfiguring animals into household objects". Draco looked up from his notes, they had just returned from a day of studies and were trying to complete their homework quickly so they could go and play quidditch with their respective teams, Draco shrugged "It's not that hard guys, i'm nearly done, it was all in the books I borrowed from…" Harry and Blaise chorused "the library" Harry smirked "You and Hermione are practically made for each other" Blaise grinned "Their kids will be geniuses". The pair laughed at the look on Draco's face, "Please, no, the wedding is in two weeks and we haven't even hugged, let alone kissed, let alone thought of _having kids_".

Hermione barged into the room, "Draco, have you got your…" Blaise and Harry grinned at each other and then Blaise pointed his wand at the couple and shouted "amatores osculari". Suddenly the Gryffindor and the Slytherin were wrapped in a tight embrace, their lips crashing against the others.

Hermione was surprised at the warmth and softness of his lips, it was a gentle kiss, a sweet one. His arms were around his waist and her hands were on his shoulders. Wanting more, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his towards her, Draco reacted hungrily, the grip around her waist tightened and seemed to pull her further into his. They fit together perfectly, almost like they were made for each other.

When they pulled apart, Harry and Blaise were watching them, their jaws almost touching the ground. "Woah, that was…different" Harry choked, Blaise nodded, "Yep, didn't think it would be that…intense". Hermione grinned up at Draco, whose eyes were shining, a grin on his lips too, and said "come here, you" before grabbing his collar and kissing him fiercely again.

When the couple broke away (finally) Draco muttered, "wow", Hermione smiled "I never actually thought I'd actually enjoy kissing Draco Malfoy". Draco smirked "Any girl would be lucky to kiss me" he teased. Hermione couldn't help herself from grinning. Draco's eyes suddenly brightened, "Come with me" he said, grabbing her hand and pulling him towards their room.

Ron entered only to see Hermione being pulling into her room by none other than the ferret himself. He turned red with rage. "HARRY," he yelled, "YOU'RE LETTING _THE DEATHEATER _BE ALONE WITH HERMIONE, HOW COULD YOU? I TRUSTED YOU" Harry grimaced, "Ron, Draco is probably just giving Hermione her engagement ring, and of course I wouldn't let anything happen to Hermione but you don't know Draco like I do, maybe you should get to know him too, maybe then you'll see how great they are for each other. Come on, Ron, can't you just try to get along with the guy Hermione's marrying?" Ron turned away, "I would never sink to such a level to become _friends_ with a traitor and the son of a deatheater" he spat before turning his heel and storming into his room. Blaise winced, "nice friend you got there," he muttered, "Poor Pansy" Harry agreed.

~in Draco and Hermione's room~

Draco whispered to Hermione, "close your eyes" . When he was sure the Gryffindor had done as he had asked, he reached into his trunk and pulled out the red velvet box. "Open them" he whispered again. Hermione opened her eyes to see a unsure looking Draco holding something behind his back, "Draco?" she asked. Draco's cheeks were slightly red and he smattered (in a very un-Malfoyish way) "Hermione, I know we've had a bit of a bad history, scratch that, a _really_ bad history, but I've realised that I didn't even know you, I just thought that as a muggleborn you were inferior to me and I treated you as such. I have never regretted anything so much. I found out you were the most compassionate, caring, wonderful, intelligent and downright beautiful witch I have ever had the fortune to meet and I can't even begin to say how much you mean to me" Draco blushed red and swallowed before continuing, "Hermione, I don't know how and I don't know when, but I've really come to care for you as…more than a friend. I know that you might not feel the same way about me, hell, it's only been about two weeks since we've been engaged, but I wanted you to know. Even though this wasn't a…voluntary engagement, but I wanted you to know that even though we're in these circumstances I'm really happy that I get to marry you, to have the honour of the most beautiful and intelligent witch as my wife" Draco seemed to realise he'd gone on for a while so, taking a deep breath, he knelt on one knee and pulled out the red box, opening it to reveal the exquisitely designed ring. "Hermione Granger, I know this isn't under normal circumstances and that this isn't how you'd thought your proposal would be, but will you marry me?"

Hermione, who had been holding back tears through Draco's heartfelt speech, burst into tears. She threw her arms around Draco and held him tight. "Yes" she sobbed, "Yes I'll marry you". Draco looked at her in concern, "why are you crying? Did I do something wrong? Was it too early? Was-" he was cut off by Hermione's warm mouth. "It was perfect" she whispered against his lips.

~Back outside~

Ginny had almost squealed when she heard what Blaise and Harry had done. So happy that she had even kissed Blaise on his cheek. Both seemed to realise the moment they were having and blushed before pushing each other away, Ginny almost throwing the Slytherin off the sofa.

When the couple emerged from their room, Hermione glowing in happiness, the girls grabbed her and pulled her into the nearest room available. Draco raised his eyebrows, "well, that went surprisingly well" he grinned.

Ron reentered the common room just then. His face turned red at the sight of the man who would be taking away the girl he was supposed to marry. He walked straight up to the Slytherin prince and jabbed a finger in the pale mans chest. "How dare you lie to us. How dare you lie to Hermione. You put her in danger again, and yet you claim to be innocent. You tell her what you've done, or I swear I will" then the red-head stomped out of the common room, towards the Great Hall.

Harry frowned, "what does he mean by that?" Draco shrugged, an identical frown on his face, "I don't know" he replied, "I really don't know".


	7. Chapter 7

It was two days before the highly anticipated marriage of the Slytherin prince and the Gryffindor princess. Of course, things couldn't go smoothly for the couple. They were constantly ambushed by packs of students from all years, and in some rare cases, paparazzi had snuck into Hogwarts to try and sneak a shot of the most popular couple of the century. The couple seemed to have the continuous background music of "What do you think of the marriage, Mr. Malfoy?" "What would your father say, Mr. Malfoy?" "Do you want to marry him, Ms. Granger?" "Are you going to keep your maiden name, Ms. Granger?"

Of course, things could only get worse. Neville was the bearer of this bad news. Silently, he pushed the Daily Prophet towards the pair when they sat down for breakfast that day. On the front page was a picture of a snarling witch with tangled black hair, her Azkaban robes were ripped and her wrists were raw with blood from relentlessly pulling against the chains. The headline read:

_The second escape: Is Azkaban really the inescapable prison it's said to be?_

_by: Barry Hoot_

_Late last night, infamous deatheater, Bellatrix Lestrange and her followers, escaped from the wizarding prison for a second time. The last recorded words from Lestrange was apparently, "Save the bloodline". It is speculated that she is referring to the highly anticipated marriage of Mr. Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy the infamous deatheater and Narcissa Malfoy, and Hermione Granger, a third of the legendary golden trio who destroyed he-who-must-not-be-named, giving peace to the wizarding world once more._

_Could the happy couple be in danger? Where are the death eaters now?_

_The Ministry of Magic states that all persons remain indoors after dark and to adopt the questioning-at-the-door system used during the war, to ensure safety against polyjuice potion._

_Read more on page 3…_

Hermione let her goblet of orange juice slip through her fingers, her mind slipping back to those hours of torture at the female death eaters hand. The feeling that her body was on fire, the relentless questions she couldn't answer, the pain when the witch carved the word 'mudblood' onto Hermione's forearm.

Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione, whose hand was covering the scar on her wrist. She was pale as a ghost and shaking uncontrollably. "Shh, it's okay, 'Mione, I won't let her hurt you again" Hermione turned to look at the grey eyed man beside her. "Really? I seem to remember you just watching last time" before ripping herself from his grasp and running from the hall.

Hermione ran until her lungs were burning, her legs were shaking and she was sobbing uncontrollably. She found herself near the library - her legs must have automatically ran there - and she slipped into the most secluded corner she could find before collapsing and letting her emotions overcome her.

_"Where did you get the sword?"_

_"Please..no…I don't know…it's fake…"_

_"What else did you take?"_

_"Please…we found it…please…PLEASE…AHHHHHHHHHH"_

Ginny and Luna found Hermione huddled in her corner about an hour later, she was pale, shaking and sobbing. "Shoot" Ginny muttered. Luna nodded, "Wackspurts must have made her brain go fuzzy". Ginny sighed, "Hermione, Hermione, come on, it's Ginny, sweetie you have to come back to me, come on" she whispered soothingly whilst gently shaking her friend's shoulder.

Hermione looked at her best girl friend in despair, "What if he can't protect me, Ginny? What if what happened before, happens again? What if he doesn't care for me enough to fight Bellatrix?"

"Hermione, sweetie, Draco may be a git and an idiot, but I don't doubt that he cares about, maybe even loves, you and I can see in his eyes that he'd do anything, _anything_, to protect you" Ginny said, "And if he can't, then I will, and Harry will and Ron, when the bloody idiot comes to his senses, and every one here in Hogwarts, I'd say that even Blaise and Pansy would too".

Hermione shook her head "I want to believe you, but you weren't there, you didn't see him. He just stared at me and did nothing". Ginny frowned, and Luna whispered, "Let's worry about that after we get you cleaned up".

Draco sat in shock after Hermione's rather dramatic exit, guilt overwhelming him. He flashed back to her torture, her screams echoing throughout the dark room, tears streaming down her face. That moment when she stared right into his eyes and whispered "Please", her chocolate-brown eyes locking with his grey ones. He had been tempted to save her there and then, but he couldn't betray his mother; who knew what the bastards would do to her if he joined the Light.

Harry was staring at him, obviously recalling Hermione's anguished screams. He eyes rested on Draco, unforgiving and angry. Draco put his head in his hands, "She's right, I'm a coward, I didn't save her" he whispered. Harry nodded, "Yes, so you better protect her now, or for the love of Merlin, I will make you pay".

Draco left the Great Hall in search of his fiancee, heading straight to the library as he knew she would. Not finding her there, he searched every inch of the castle, his panic growing with every step he took. '_What if Bellatrix hurt her when I was busy feeling sorry for myself? What if she's dying in a ditch somewhere because I couldn't protect her? What if she's-no, don't think it, Draco, she's alive. If she died, you'd feel it'._

It was well past midnight when Blaise and Pansy went looking for their Slytherin friend, Draco was searching the castle for what must have been the hundredth time that night. Pansy put a hand on his trembling shoulder, "She's alright, Draco, Ginny and Luna aren't here either, so they're probably together" Blaise nodded, "come on, mate, you can't protect her if you can't even stand on your feet".

Blaise and Pansy almost dragged Draco to his room, after much blackmailing and coaxing, Draco (glaring at his friends) took a dreamless sleep potion and fell back onto the bed.

Ginny and Luna had taken Hermione to the Burrow, the last thing they needed was Draco bumping into them and setting Hermione off into tears again. A mug of hot chocolate later, they were sitting in Ginny's room talking in hushed whispers so they didn't wake up Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"Hermione, Draco _will_ protect you, it's plain to see" Luna whispered, Ginny nodded, "He's probably searching for you now". Luna shrugged, "I don't know about that, I told Blaise and Pansy to find him and give him a dreamless sleep potion if he was up looking until after midnight" Hermione looked up in surprise, "Up after midnight?" she felt oddly touched, but she still couldn't ignore the image of Draco's indifferent face as he watched her beg for mercy. _'I'll just avoid him until the wedding, yes, Bellatrix can't touch me if I'm with Ginny, Luna and Harry. We'll talk it through after the wedding" _She knew it was silly of her to wait, but she just couldn't bring herself to talk with him after such devastating news.

It was late the next day and Draco was growing frustrated, Hermione had reappeared for class that morning, but run faster from him than Snape confronted with shampoo **(I believe one of the Weasley twins said that?)**. The were getting married the next day for Merlin's sake! He desperately needed to talk to her.

Seeing the familiar mass of wild brown hair, he quickened his pace, "Hermione!" he called, but the witch sped up. Even with Hermione's attempts to lose him, Draco soon caught up. "Hermione, I need to talk to you. I would never let-" Hermione raised a finger to his lips, "I can't talk to you now, Draco, I have to speak to Professor Sprout about the Herbology essay she set today" then the Gryffindor turned away and sped down the corridor towards the Herbology greenhouses.

_'well' _Draco thought, _'if she doesn't want to talk to me face to face, I'll just have to make her listen'._

Late that night, Hermione was sitting in the room she shared with Draco. She was still planning a way to avoid the Slytherin that night - sure he slept on the couch, but she wanted to avoid any chance of talking or questions. So far her only plan was the feign sleep, and that wasn't entirely fool-proof. She was pretty sure Draco would see straight through her (quite atrocious) acting skills.

Suddenly, a bouquet of white lilies appeared before her, an envelope attached to it. Hermione read her name, written in that spiky scroll that she loved. Draco. _'Read it later, Hermione' _she told herself. But the envelope began smoking. Howler.

Bastard_._

Sighing in defeat, Hermione cast a silencing charm on the door (she didn't want the whole year hearing whatever the letter said) and opened the smoking envelope.

_Hermione, _Draco said, _I know you're probably annoyed that I sent you a Howler of all things, but I had to make sure you heard this. You've avoided me so I can't tell you this to your face, and for that I'm sorry._

_I swear to you, Hermione, that I will protect you. I'll protect you from Bellatrix, from any deatheater that threatens you. I'll protect you from anyone, just tell me who and I'll do it. I know that you can probably never forgive me for the past, and I know it's no excuse, but I couldn't risk my mother's life._

_I'll might not be your lover, but I'll be your best friend. I'll be there for you, as a husband, as anything you need me to be._

_And you know why? Because I have a strong feeling I'm falling in love with you._

Draco didn't appear that night. But Hermione knew exactly what she was going to tell him at their wedding.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I haven't been able to update for a while, I went to London and was ****forbidden**** to bring my laptop. I've never been to a wedding, let alone written about one, so I hope it's okay. I'm not too good at fight scenes either so I hope this chapter isn't a complete failure. **

Hermione had no chance to see her future husband; it was her wedding day after all. She had been forcefully awoken by a ecstatic Ginny Weasley and almost dragged into her friends bedroom at the Burrow. Her mother was weeping happily, and Hermione had even found a small portrait of Narcissa Malfoy in order to ask her for her opinion - she knew Draco would have appreciated it.

Being surrounded by three crying woman (who knew that portraits could sob hysterically) brought tears to Hermione's eyes. Ginny glared at her through watery eyes, "No, Hermione Jean Granger, you will not start crying and ruin all that effort I put into making you look flawless for your husband".

The mention of Draco wiped any trace of a smile off Hermione's face. "Oh Ginny, I've made a huge mistake" she whispered, "He sent me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers and resorted to sending a Howler to get me to listen to him. I feel like an idiot" Hermione's mum wrapped her arms around her, "Now you listen to me, young lady, Draco Malfoy is the luckiest man in the world to be marrying you, and I bet you he feels the same. He's probably pacing his room right this second saying how unworthy he is of your affections. You know how I know? Because every man I know did that on their wedding day".

Mrs. Granger didn't know just how right she was.

Draco groaned, "Hermione deserves so much better, maybe I should just-" Harry grabbed his new friend's shoulders and shook him roughly, his green eyes locked onto Draco's grey. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, you are going to go out there and marry my best friend. You can walk down the aisle with dignity or I can drag you down it, which is it going to be?"

Draco wrinkled his nose at the thought of being _dragged_ down the aisle by none other than his ex-enemy. "Well, as entertaining as that would be for you, Harry, I believe I will be walking down the aisle. Malfoy's do not get _dragged_ anywhere".

"It's time," those words put both Hermione and Draco into a cold sweat. "What am I doing?" Draco muttered as he made his was towards the door. Blaise punched him lightly on the shoulder, "Never thought you'd be getting married first, mate" he grinned. Draco grimaced and gulped, "Let's go before I freak out". Growing pale, Draco opened the door to walk down the aisle.

The Burrow's garden was breathtaking, it was set out much like Bill's wedding; a huge white tent in the garden, revealing rows of fragile golden chairs set on either sides of a long white carpet **(parts are taken from Bill's wedding description)**. There were bouquets ofwhite roses every four rows and they were attached by a long white piece of draping white silk.

Draco was wearing a black tuxedo, something that Hermione's mother had insisted - the wedding vows were wizarding and she wanted _something_ from the muggle tradition incorporated into her daughter's wedding. He looked happy yet nervous as he made his way down the aisle, he looked a bit paler than usual as well.

Little Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley (Bill and Fleur's daughter) made their way down the aisle next, both were only about a year old but the Mrs Weasley and the Grangers (mother and daughter, both) had fallen so in love with the idea of Teddy as ring bearer and Victoire as flower girl. They were helped along by Fleur, who was holding both their hands.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen appeared after. Draco's heart sped up, Hermione was so close. Pansy and Neville walked together, Lavender and Theo, Luna and Harry, and lastly Blaise and Ginny. Taking his place next to Draco as his best man, Blaise lent and whispered into his ear "You're the luckiest man alive, Draco Malfoy" then turned away as well.

When the bridal music began, Draco took a deep breath. This was it. Blaise whispered, "Wait until you see her mate, wow".

Hermione was glowing. Draco knew it was sappy, but all he could see was an angelic figure gliding towards him. His jaw was on the ground and he could see the amused expressions from the Weasley clan. Hermione was escorted down the aisle by her mother, she was holding a bouquet of white lilies, it soon became apparent that it was the bouquet Draco had sent her the night before. The white silk seemed to have been moulded onto her - it showed off her hourglass figure splendidly - who knew that there was such a beauty under those baggy robes the Gryffindor always seemed to wear.

Taking her hand in his, he whispered "I will always protect you, beautiful". Hermione smiled, "I know and I love you for it" she whispered back.

"Ladies and gentlemen. we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls…" the minister began. Blaise was smirking slightly, he and Harry shared a knowing look before turning their gazes towards the couple once again.

"If anyone feels this couple should not be united in Holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace". There was a short silence, until a dark figure threw open the tent flaps and sashayed in, "Me" she snarled. Draco pushed Hermione behind him, "Bellatrix".

"Now, now, Drakey, there's no need to treat your dear loving aunty like that" Bellatrix said disapprovingly, "especially when she came all this way to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life". The entire tent was silent, the guests were shaking, trying to be as small as possible. Only the Weasley family and other Order members like Kingsley were standing tall against the deatheater.

Harry snarled, "Get out or I swear I will kill you", Blaise glared at the woman with his want raised threateningly. Bellatrix paid them no attention, "Oh Draco, you should be happy I'm stopping you. what would your dear parents say? Marrying a mudblood, tsk, tsk, I am so disappointed". Draco retorted sarcastically "Oh no, my aunt Bella isn't happy, whatever shall I do? You know, _aunt,_ my existence doesn't revolve around making you happy. I'll marry whoever I want and I want to marry Hermione so either accept that and go back to your cell in Azkaban where you belong or stay here and see exactly what I can do".

Bellatrix snarled "Crucio" at her nephew but the curse was disrupted by by Blaise's "Petrificus Totalus", Bellatrix dodged and glared at the dark skinned wizard.

Draco yelled "Stupefy" the red light almost hitting the witch, who dodged it. "Now, Draco, you really need some help with your duelling skills".

Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley turned to see more death eaters, Dolohov and Yaxley, emerging from behind their daughter. "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BASTARDS" Mrs. Weasley screamed, sending an silent stunning curse at the advancing death eaters.

More and more death eaters were emerging - the chance of capturing Harry Potter, the boy who killed the Dark Lord, and his friends was a good opportunity. The delusional witches and wizards were almost crazy with need to avenge their Lord. Bellatrix was duelling Draco, Harry and Blaise, whilst Ginny and Hermione had their hands full with two unknown death eaters. Luna soon fought her way to their side, "witches must always stick together" she tutted before sending a stunning spell over Hermione's shoulder.

Bellatrix shouted "Sectumsempra" and Blaise kneeled over in pain, blood staining his crisp white shirt. Taking advantage of Harry's concern for his friend, she screeched "Levicorpus" then "Avada Kedavra" at the suspended boy. The curse was deflected by Draco's shield charm.

Knowing Draco's weakness, Bellatrix turned at sceamed "SECTUMSEMPRA" at Hermione's back. Time seemed to slow down. "NO" Draco roared, lunging at the Gryffindor. He wrapped his arms in a tight embrace as they crashed to the floor.

Hermione felt the breath get knocked out of her, "Draco" she mumbled, "Draco?" When the Slytherin didn't reply she scrambled from underneath him. Looking at the limp form of her fiancee (they hadn't said their vows yet) she saw blood spreading over his back. He had taken the curse for her. "Hermione" he whispered, "told…you".

Hermione screamed in rage, her brown eyes flashing. "YOU-YOU BITCH" and began throwing curse after curse at the foul death eater. Bellatrix's smile of triumph was replaced by a grimace, the other death eaters saw their leader's expression and apparated away - cowards, they were. The guests watched in awe as the Gryffindor beat Bellatrix further and further back, until the witch had her back against the wall. "Expelliarmus" Hermione screamed and the witch's wand flew out of the witches hand. Bellatrix fell to the floor.

Picking up the witch by the collar of her shirt, Hermione growled, "How dare you come here and disrupt MY wedding, how dare you try and kill MY fiancee, how DARE YOU. A woman's wedding day is the happiest day of her life and you've just ruined it. MY FIANCEE IS LYING THERE IN A POOL OF HIS OWN BLOOD BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR PREJUDICES".

In disgust, Hermione dropped the witch, leaving her to the stunned Order members to take back to Azkaban. She knelt by Draco's head, who was being desperately healed by Mrs Weasley. "I'm fine…" he mumbled, "S'nothing". Hermione swatted him gently on the head, "Why did you do it, you incredible, stupid, man" she whispered, letting tears fall down her cheeks. Harry and Blaise were at her side in a second, both healed and bandaged as best as possible. Ginny and Luna there a second later.

Blaise wrapped an arm around his red-haired Gryffindor, kissing her lightly on the head, "Thank Merlin you're alright" he whispered. Luna was getting much the same treatment from Harry.

Draco sat up, stubborn against Mrs Weasleys and Hermione's protests. "I do" he whispered, kissing Hermione tenderly. Hermione blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I do" she echoed. The minister scrambled from his position behind a bouquet of flowers, straightening his clothes and acting as dignified as possible, he raised his wand "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife", and a cascade of sparks rained down on the embracing couple.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in ****ages****, I've been busy with art projects etc, really, I need to manage my time better. I know, I know, this is a really short chapter, but I'll try and write a longer chapter next. **

Hermione skipped through the corridors - _skipped. _Harry, Blaise, Ginny and Luna watched with their jaws on the ground as the glowing Gryffindor reached the table and sat down, a huge grin on her face. It was the day after the wedding and even though people were staring and whispering after the Daily Prophet article on the famous Malfoy/Granger wedding, Hermione couldn't be happier.

"Well then _Mrs. Malfoy, _how was _last night?_" Ginny asked wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Hermione's smile grew, "Oh it was absolutely _wonderful_, he was so gentle and careful, oh, and when he-" Blaise covered her mouth to prevent her from speaking, Harry was crimson and stuttered "Ah, no need to go into detail, Hermione". Luna and Ginny were on the floor laughing, "Your face, Harry" Luna spluttered, wiping tears from her eyes.

While the girls got themselves together, Blaise asked "So where's your gentle and caring husband now?" Hermione replied "Madam Pomfrey ambushed him in the corridor and almost dragged him to the hospital wing, she's forbidden anyone from interrupting her whilst she checks on Draco's wounds from the wedding and told me to return in-" Hermione checked her watch "15 minutes".

The group fell silent as a shadow fell on their table, Hermione turned to find Ron standing there sheepishly. "Uh, hi" he started, his face going as red as his hair, "Hermione, I'm here to apologise about being a jerk to Malfoy all this time, Harry was right - I should have tried to get to know the guy you are going to spend the rest of your life with. I accused him of being a deatheater and was a right prick just because his parents were death eaters, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions before getting to know him and I'm so sorry". The group continued to stare unforgivingly at the red-head. "Hermione, I'm sorry for going mental when I found out you were marrying Malfoy and I know you will never forgive me for trying to hit you as well. I don't know what came over me and I can't thank Malfoy enough for stopping me. Harry, I'm sorry for being a git to you as well, I accused you for not caring about Hermione, when really you were taking her feelings into account when I wasn't. Ginny, I'm sorry about judging your fiancee as well, just because he's a Slytherin I assumed he was evil. Blaise, I'm sorry for judging you so quickly. Luna, I'm sorry for being a jerk to you as well just because you were making an effort to get to know Blaise and Malfoy".

Hermione sighed, "I forgive you, Ron, but I don't think we can ever be as close as before". The group nodded in agreement. Sighing in relief Ron sat down with his friends. Hermione turned to him "Now, about Pansy-"

Draco groaned as Madam Pomfrey cast yet another spell over his body, the only thing left from the Sectumsempra curse was a pale white (whiter than his skin) scar running down his back due to the skilful healing from Mrs. Weasley. "Madam Pomfrey, there's no need for this, Mrs. Weasley already healed me". The nurse pursed her lips, "I have to make sure there is no magical residue left in the wound, you should have come straight to me rather than participate in…activities". Draco chuckled, but winced as a sharp bolt of pain hit his back, Madam Pomfrey nodded "There's dark magic here, you'll need hold still whilst I clean this" She armed herself with her wand, "This will sting a bit" she warned him. Draco rolled his eyes, "in other words, this is going to hurt like hell" he muttered.

Hermione was met by the sight of an arguing madam Pomfrey and Draco. "I'm serious, Madam Pomfrey, I feel _fine_, there's no need for me to waste a day here" the nurse glared at the student "Mr Malfoy, you should have come and seen me first then you wouldn't have to stay; you're injured, you have to stay here" Draco groaned "But I have quidditch-" Madam Pomfrey waved her wand to silence him, "No quidditch, no running around, no going to class, and _no sexual activities_". Draco glared at the teacher who smirked at him "Mr Malfoy, dear, I'll have to restrain you if you continue like this" she sad sweetly. Behind Hermione, Blaise and Harry started to laugh; full laughter that echoed on the stone walls of the hospital wing.

Hermione sighed and walked to her husbands hospital bed, undoing to silencing charm she kissed him softly and said "I'll see you later, okay?" before kissing him again. Blaise groaned, "This is too sweet for my taste, ugh, my teeth are gonna fall out" before he and Harry collapsed into laughter once again. The Gryffindor rolled her eyes and kissed her husband again, Draco chuckled "can't get enough of me, can you?" he whispered, Hermione blushed and hit him lightly on the arm. "I'll see you after class". Draco caught her wrist and pulled her back, "you get your kisses, I get mine" before kissing her.

"OI, HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU TWO NEED TO KISS?"


	10. Chapter 10

**I so sorry I haven't updated this story for a while, gosh I feel horrible. I've written this chapter a few times, but I haven't been happy with it, I hope you guys like it and please review.  
I do not own Harry Potter**

"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY YOU GET YOUR WIZARD ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW" Hermione yelled, she had been waiting for her husband for the past 10 minutes and she was loosing patience - they'd began getting ready over two hours ago and if they waited any longer, they'd be late for Harry and Luna's wedding.

Draco leapt down the stairs, "couldn't find my shoes" he mumbled avoiding her eyes, Hermione glared at him, "You're impossible" she sighed, "how is it even possible for you to take so long getting ready?". Draco raised an eyebrow, "This perfection takes time," he said cockily. Muttering insults under her breath and rolling her eyes, Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the Burrow's garden.

"Ah, Draco, my dear boy, how's the married life suiting you, I see you're under the control of your beloved" Blaise said, putting on a posh English accent, Harry appeared beside Draco, "Of course, he's married to Hermione Granger, the poor chap". Hermione glared at the men as Draco joined in with their laughter. As their laughter died down they sipped at their drinks - their last before Harry was due to walk down the aisle. Grinning rather deviously, Hermione waited until they all took a sip before saying, "Of course he's under my control, it just takes a very _commanding _position" before walking off to the sound of the three men's choked gasps.

"Oh Luna, you look absolutely gorgeous, you'll have Harry kneeling at your feet in seconds" Ginny sighed, her mind full of her own upcoming marriage. Hermione entered the room, "Oh Luna" she sighed, echoing Ginny's words. Luna waved her hand, "oh shush, girls, you'll make me cry and Ginny's spent the past _millennium_ perfecting my makeup". Hermione sighed, "It's going to be a beautiful wedding" she knew she shouldn't be jealous, but all she could think about was how perfect Luna's wedding was going to be whilst hers had been a disaster.

Luna's father appeared at the door, "It's time" he said.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful and had almost every woman in the area crying into a silk handkerchief before the service was finished. When they were seated Ginny stood up, raising her champagne glass for a toast "Harry, Luna, you're both amazing friends to me and I wish you all the happiness in the world. But Harry…if you hurt Luna in any way I will curse you" She winked at the couple and sat down, Harry grinning uncertainly at the ginger haired girl. Hermione stood next, "Harry, we've been on so many adventures together and you're like the brother I never had, I hope you find happiness in your new life, I know you deserve it. Luna, you've been a brilliant friend throughout the years and may your life with Harry be amazing and full of love".

Draco held out his hand after the bride and groom's first dance, "may I have this dance?" he asked, Hermione smiled at him "of course". Draco pulled Hermione close as they swayed to the slow music, "I love you" he whispered in her ear, Hermione blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you more" she whispered back. The couple smiled at each other.

Ginny sighed, "don't they look absolutely wonderful" she said to Blaise as she watched Harry dance with Ginny and Draco dance with Hermione. Blaise looked at her with his eyebrows raised, "marriage will seem great at first, but after a while the spark will fade and they won't be so wonderful anymore". Ginny turned to her fiancee, "Blaise?" He turned away, "nothing, Ginny" he said before excusing himself, telling Mrs Weasley and the bride and groom that he was tired. Draco shot Ginny and questioning look, and when the dance ended he made his way over to her. "Something's wrong with Blaise" it was a statement not a question, Ginny nodded "he said something about marriage seeming great at first but the spark will fade after a while". Draco nodded, "he's scared that his marriage to you will end up like his mothers". Ginny raised her eyebrows "mothers?" The pale haired man nodded again, "his mother has had a load of husbands and didn't love a single one of them, he hasn't had a real father and his mother keeps remarrying so he can't even say he has a stepdad - they all die within maximum two years of marriage". Ginny frowned, "I'll go talk to him".

"Blaise?" Ginny whispered when she entered his and Dracos room (her mum had been adamant about separating the couples so no _inappropriate behaviour_ could occur), the dark skinned wizard looked up from his position by the window; he was relaxed in a huge red armchair that seemed to shrink the wizard.

"Ginny" he stated without emotion, Ginny took a deep breath and walked forward, hesitantly, she perched on the arm of the chair, unsure if he would find it awkward. But the wizard seemed unfazed by her closeness, and she cleared her throat. "Blaise, I know our marriage isn't really that normal, and I know that you don't have any feelings towards me, but I just want you to know that I'll do my best to make it work" she said, twirling her ginger hair around her finger - give her a game of quidditch any day to talking about _feelings_. Blaise chuckled, "you think that what I said out there was because I didn't feelings for you?" Ginny blushed, "Well, Draco told me about your mom and I just thought-", Blaise put a finger on her lips, "forget I said it, I was just…" Blaise trailed off, "scared" he mumbled.

Ginny couldn't help but grin slightly, "you're scared of getting married?" Blaise shrugged sheepishly and casually put an arm around Ginny's waist (he would later claim that it was to prevent her from falling off the chair). "I'm scared too" she whispered, "I'm scared that we'll argue over everything, I'm scared the Ministry will control the rest of our lives, I'm scared that we'll be too different and the marriage won't work". Blaise tightened his arm around her, listening to her intently, "I'm scared of settling down" Ginny laughed slightly, "I'm basically scared of everything in the future". Blaise smirked "and here I was thinking you Gryffindors were so brave". Ginny playfully hit his shoulder, "shut up".

Blaise pulled Ginny into his lap, "well, if it helps I'm sure our arguments will be exciting, but I'm sure the Ministry will leave us alone once we've got a kid". Ginny rested her head on his shoulder, "but even though I'm scared" she said, "I'm excited about it all as well". Blaise smiled and pulled her close. As Ginny slipped into sleep, she whispered "our marriage will be so much better than your mothers, I promise". She was fast asleep when Blaise replied, "I know, we'll have feelings" before kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Draco opened his door to see Blaise and Ginny snuggled together on the armchair, grinning slightly, he backed out (he knew Blaise would kill him if he knew Draco had seen him in such a position). Making his way down the corridor to Hermione and Ginnys room, he tapped lightly on the door. At Hermione's questioning look when she saw him he said, "Ginny's in my room". Raising her eyebrows, Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him into her room.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm hoping that I'll be able to update more often now, so anyways, here's the next chapter - hope you like it. Please, please, please review. **

Hermione was content when she woke up; it was a beautiful morning and she was wrapped in her husbands arms. She stretched like a cat and Draco mumbled in disagreement - he wasn't ready to let go of her just yet. Hermione grinned and twisted to face him and kissed his nose, "good morning" she smiled, and he opened one grey eye, "five more minutes" he mumbled, once again wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Tapping on the window disturbed their moment, Hermione grabbed a bathrobe and covered herself as she went to the window. She yawned as she let the owl in and slowly untied the message from it's leg. "Is it urgent?" Draco asked as he sat up, hoping that his wife would come back to bed with him and just relax. Hermione's eyebrows raised as she read the letter, "We've been invited to a family dinner tonight at 7" she said. Draco frowned "I thought I'd already met your mum?" Hermione laughed, "yes, but you haven't met my aunts and uncles, and my cousins".

Draco groaned, "Will it be as embarrassing as the last time we had lunch with your mum?" Hermione smirked and opened her closet, "oh, it'll be worse".

Hermione wore a navy blue dinner dress, with a v-neck and sleeves that ended just below her elbows, her dress was clinched at the waist to show off her figure, and ended about an inch above her knee. Draco wore a pristine white shirt with black trousers and a matching black jacket.

Hermione intertwined her fingers with Draco's as they walked up the drive of the Granger's home, there were lights on inside and Draco was getting more and more nervous. Hermione rang the doorbell to her childhood home and grinned at him, "oh, don't look so scared, Draco" she chided, "I am not scared of meeting your family, Hermione" Draco said indignantly, but untruthfully.

Mrs. Granger pulled Hermione into a tight hug when she opened the door and then grabbed Draco and pulled him into an embrace as well, much to his surprise. "_Finally, _I've been waiting for ages to show Draco off to the family," she said to Hermione, "your Aunt Amelia has been going on and on about her daughter's new husband, a dentist apparently, and refuses to believe what I say about how gorgeous and successful Draco is," at this Mrs. Granger turned to her son-in-law, "Now, Draco, please beat that stuck-up man in everything, I'll be damned if Amelia is a grandmother before me" she said.

Draco and Hermione shared an amused look before putting their jackets on the coat stand and following the woman into the warm and welcoming house.

Hermione had a large family. The room was full to the brim of aunts and uncles, cousins and nephews and nieces. It was chaos, but a family kind of chaos. The room quietened when Hermione and Draco entered, and they stood at the door awkwardly as the family surveyed them. After 7 seconds of awkward silence (Draco counted) a young girl screamed, "Hermione!" and ran towards her, Hermione grinned and knelt down to wrap her arms around the little girl. This seemed to break the ice and the family continued talking as if the last few seconds hadn't happened. Mrs Granger grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him towards a plump, brown haired woman. "Amelia, darling" Mrs Granger said in a sweet voice, one that made Draco hold back a laugh, "I've told you about Draco, my son-in-law, haven't I?"

Aunt Amelia turned and froze, "Ah yes, I believe you have, Jane" she forced smiled after running her eyes up and down Draco. She pursed her lips, "Sebastien, dear" she called at the top of her voice. Family members glanced at the woman, and some sent Draco looks of sympathy. Hermione appeared at Draco's side, "I knew I shouldn't have let you out of my sight" she whispered in his ear.

A tall and thin man strode towards Aunt Amelia, "Amelia" he said, "You called?" Aunt Amelia smiled and turned to Draco, Hermione and Mrs Granger, "I've told you about _my_ son-in-law, Sebastien?" she smiled. Sebastien reminded Draco of a stick insect, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sebastien" he said holding out his hand for the other man to shake, Sebastien shook his hand, however he looked down his nose at Draco - although he was slightly shorter than Draco, Sebastien still seemed to be able to do so. "and you are?" the man said, Draco smirked "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy" he said, in much the same way he introduced himself to Harry all those years ago.

A short and plump woman, maybe in her early twenties, appeared at Sebastien's side, "Oh, who is this, Sebbie?" she asked in a high voice. Draco tried to hold back his laugh - I mean, _Sebbie?_ - but it was futile and he had to disguise it with a cough. Hermione was also holding back a grin, but she elbowed her husband in the side. "Amanda" she said, and the two woman embraced.

Aunt Amelia smirked, "yes, Sebastien is a _very_ successful dentist, one of the best in England" she boasted. Mrs Granger smiled, but her eyes said _bring it on_, "well, Draco's a _very_ successful _businessman_ and is the _owner_ of a family company" she retorted, "why don't you tell us about your work, Draco dear", Draco smirked at the woman, "yes, Malfoy Inc. is doing fabulously, I've only recently inherited it from my father but he's taught me well, we've just made a three million dollar deal with another company in America, for example", his mother-in-law grinned at him and sent a challenging glance at her sister.

"Well, Sebastien graduated third in his year"

"Draco's second in class, but that's only because Hermione's first"

"Sebastien has a house and he's only 24"

"Draco has a manor and _he's _17"

"Sebastien is a very good gardener"

"Draco can cook"

"Sebastien's worked in Paris"

"Drac-"

Hermione rested a hand on her mum's shoulder, "Mum, why don't I come help you with dinner?" she said. You could have seen the tension between the Mrs Granger and Aunt Amelia. With that, Hermione pulled her mum into the kitchen. While Draco was standing there awkwardly and unsure what to do, Sebastien had puffed up like a peacock when Aunt Amelia was talking about him. Draco smiled awkwardly, "I think I'll go meet some more of Hermione's family" he said, thankful for an excuse to leave the three people.

"They've always fought over something or another at every family gathering, they've always been very competitive" a man said, he had curly brown hair and black-rimmed glasses and was in his late twenties. Draco grinned at the man, "I just wonder how she found out so much about me," the man laughed. "I'm Ralph, Hermione's cousin". Draco grinned, "Draco".

"Mum, was that really necessary?" Hermione asked, exasperated. Mrs Granger shrugged, "she was asking for it," she said, as she pulled the cottage pie from the oven. Hermione sighed as she scooped the beans into a serving bowl, she glanced back into the living room and saw Draco talking with Ralph, who was introducing him to his daughter. Hermione smiled, Draco seemed at home with the kid, and soon the girl had wrapped her arms around his legs as her father spoke to Draco.

"You're so lucky to have him" Mrs Granger sighed, "and he's lucky to have you, you know, you remind me of myself and your father when we were young". Hermione smiled sadly, "I wish he had met Draco too" she said, "He would have loved him" her mum replied.

Dinner was just like any other family dinner; loud, chaotic and full of laughter. By the end, Draco seemed like he'd been a part of the family for years.

It wasn't awkward until after dinner when-

"You know, Sebastien and Amanda are trying to have a baby,"

The family groaned, but Mrs Granger retorted, "Draco and Hermione's future children will be far smarter and cuter than Sebastien and Amanda's". Hermione put her head in her hands, Draco watched the two woman with his eyebrows raised. "Imagine a little girl with Hermione's figure and nose, and Draco's hair and eyes, she'd be gorgeous. Or imagine a little boy with Hermione's complexion and her eyes and her hair colour, but with Draco's straight hair and jaw line," Mrs Granger smirked. The family all looked at the uncomfortable couple in concentration, Hermione stood up, "it's very late, I think Draco and I should be going" before she grabbed Draco's hand and practically dragged him out the door - he only had seconds to grab his coat before they were out in the cold night.

"That was a _disaster_" Hermione groaned.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks everyone for the reviews, I'm really glad you guys like it. So anyways, I've been free so I'm writing as much as possible before I'm distracted by school again. Hope you guys like this chapter!  
I don't own Harry Potter**

"How do you feel, Ginny?" Hermione asked, "You're officially Mrs Ginny Zabini". Ginny grinned, she look radiant in her wedding dress (Blaise's jaw had fallen to the ground when she'd appeared ) and the wedding had gone off without a hitch. "Hermione, I feel absolutely amazing" she said, her blue eyes shining.

Blaise appeared and wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing her cheek. Draco wasn't far behind him, and they both looked so handsome in their tuxedos - ever since they wore it for Hermione's wedding, Ginny had been obsessed with them. "I'm the luckiest man alive" Blaise murmured in her ear, and Ginny blushed a pretty red. Blaise turned to Draco, "any tips on marriage, Draco?" The blonde wizard smirked, "Never argue with your wife".

Hermione hit him.

Professor McGonagall swept into the common room calling for the students, it was just after their NEWTs exams and there was a relaxed atmosphere in the seventh year common room. When the students were all present, McGonagall said "As you all know, you're all influenced by the Marriage Law and you'll also be aware of the…time restrictions, that have been placed. You are expected to have or be expecting a child within a year of marriage, as as you've all been married for a few months the Ministry has decided that it's time to give a pregnancy test to the females, therefore could the married females please stay behind as you will be tested in the hospital wing". McGonagall studied the students before her, "Well what are you waiting for? You've got classes to get to if you're not a married woman, chop chop of you go".

Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Pansy (Pansy and Ron got married in a quiet ceremony when Ron was still avoiding Harry and Hermione, something that Mrs Weasley hadn't forgiven them, she was only appeased when they agreed to have another wedding with the family) were panicked. "We've only been married two months, oh Merlin, what if I'm pregnant already?" Ginny wailed, she wasn't one to overreact, but she doubted they were ready for children just yet. "Ron and I have only just started acting like a couple, a child would complicate things so much" Pansy said, her head in her hands. Luna said dreamily, "The nargles would have told me if I were pregnant".

Hermione was by far the worst, "We've only been married for, what, 2 and a half months, I don't want to be pregnant, Merlin's pants, what if I'm pregnant, I'll have to tell my mum and, Merlin, I'm only seventeen" she wailed as she paced up and down the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey was steadily working her way towards the panicked teenagers. They'd been growing more and more apprehensive as more girls ran past crying. So far, fifteen girls were pregnant out of the twenty-five girls who'd been tested.

"Pansy Parkinson" Madam Pomfrey called. Pansy paled, "You'll be fine" Ginny said reassuringly. The three girls followed the clock's hand as it ticked the seconds away. After 3 minutes and 14 seconds, Pansy reappeared with a smile on her face. "I'm not pregnant" she said in relief. Luna hugged her as she passed on her way to Madam Pomfrey. Luna wasn't pregnant either. Ginny sighed, "If they're not pregnant then I'm sure not pregnant" she said confidently as she strode behind the screen to Madam Pomfrey.

Ginny returned with tears streaming down her face, as her three friends gathered around her she wailed, "I'm pregnant, I'm freaking two weeks pregnant," before collapsing against Luna, who hugged the sobbing girl. Hermione gave her one last hug, "we'll help you through it, Ginny," she assured her friend before she also disappeared behind the screen.

Hermione reappeared with a pale face, her hands shaking. At her friends questioning looks, she nodded her head before breaking down just like Ginny. "I'm three weeks pregnant_" _she screamed through her tears, "I'm not ready, I'm only seventeen" she wailed. Ginny hugged her tightly, "at least we won't be alone" she whispered.

Luna and Pansy glanced at each other, "okay, we're going to go and find out everything about pregnancy" Pansy said in a businesslike manner, "Luna and I'll help you through everything, besides, you can't go tell your husbands you're pregnant with tears streaming down your face". With that, she grabbed Hermione and Ginny by the hand and pulled them up stairs and down corridors and into her room, ignoring the looks of other students. At Ron's questioning glance she shot him a look and said "out" before mouthing, "Later".

Ron raced down to the Great Hall. Harry, Draco and Blaise stared at him as he caught his breath, "they're back" he said, "but they're in Pansy and my room and we're not allowed in". Harry put his head in his hands, "at least one of them is pregnant" he groaned, he knew the girls well enough to know that if everything was fine they'd be here with them by now. The men froze, yes they loved their wives but none of them were ready for fatherhood yet. Blaise smirked, "my bet's on Hermione" he said, and Draco paled considerably.

It had been two days and none of the girls had given any clues on which of them was pregnant. The boys were on edge, looking for signs in each girl.

Ginny pulled Hermione into an empty classroom after their first lesson, "We have to tell them" she said, "it's Blaise's child growing inside me, I feel weird not telling him", Hermione nodded and said "It's eating me up, I'm always just about to tell Draco but then I get scared of his reaction and don't". Ginny took a deep breath, "Okay, let's make a deal, you tell Draco tonight and I'll tell Blaise" she decided. Hermione nodded, "Deal".

Everything had to be perfect for when she told him. Hermione had gone straight from her last lesson (Transfiguration) to the kitchen and made a picnic basket; She was going to surprise him with a picnic by the lake and tell him. She knew he was at quidditch practice, so she had at least an hour to get it all set up.

She took one last glance at the basket before nodding to herself, picking it up and walking out of the kitchen.

Hermione watched the last few minutes of the Slytherin quidditch game. "Flint, get your head out of your arse and guard the hoops, for Merlin's sake!" Draco yelled from his position. Hermione smirked, there was the Draco she knew.

The game was going perfectly until Flint grabbed Crabbe's beater and, thinking he could do much better than Crabbe, hit the bludger hard. Only he wasn't as great a shot as he thought; it hit Draco, breaking his arm and throwing him off his broom. The last thing he heard before he hit the ground was Hermione's anguished scream.

She pushed past the Slytherin team as they crowded around their fallen captain, she fell to her knees at his side, checking his pulse first before letting her emotions overcome her. After she was sure he was breathing, she turned on to face Marcus Flint, "YOU IDIOT" she screeched, "YOU-" Blaise gripped her shoulders, "Hermione, you can kill Flint later, but right now, we need to get Draco to the Hospital Wing" before he levitated his unconscious friend and pulled Hermione after him, "hit the showers" he yelled over his shoulder at the rest of the team.

Draco had a broken arm, three broken ribs and a dislocated knee, luckily he wasn't higher in the air, or the fall could have killed him. Hermione sat by him as she waited for him to regain consciousness. Ginny and come and visited, staying for two hours before Hermione told her to go and get some rest.

She ended up falling asleep in the chair beside him, praying that he'd be alright.

Blaise pushed open the door and froze, the table was set and there were lit candles on it, however Ginny was packing it up. She turned and froze when she saw her husband, "what's all this?" Blaise asked with his eyebrows raised. Ginny sighed, "I just…I…It didn't seem right after Draco's accident" she mumbled before carrying the cutlery and plates into the kitchen. "What didn't?"

Ginny shrugged, pushing her ginger hair behind her ear, "It was going to be perfect" she said before bursting into tears.

Blaise rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her, "sorry, sorry, I'm just really hormonal right now" Ginny said through her tears, Blaise kissed her head, oblivious to the subtle hint of her condition. "why'd you do all this?" he asked.

"It isn't the right atmosphere" Ginny said stubbornly - she'd planned the food, the atmosphere and it had to be perfect when she told him. Blaise sighed, "Just tell me, for Merlin's sake" he said, but he was beginning to feel a bit apprehensive. Ginny sighed, leading him to the sofa. When they were seated Ginny took a deep breath before reaching into the draw of the small cabinet and pulling out a neatly wrapped present. "I can't really say it out loud because I'm just getting used to it myself" she said as she held the present out.

Blaise had an idea of what she was getting to, but he took the present and, hesitantly, opened it. Inside was a shirt. Blaise glanced at Ginny, who was biting her lip. He pulled the shirt out and nearly fainted when he saw the words "guess who's going to be a daddy?" on it. He stared at the writing with his jaw on the ground.

Ginny was getting more and more anxious with every passing second - what if he doesn't want a kid, what if he's angry? - but Blaise turned to her and, grinning, kissed her full on the mouth. "Are you serious?" he grinned, and when she nodded he pulled her to her feet and spun her in a circle.

"So, do you want a boy or a girl?" Ginny asked, grinning. Blaise hugged her close, "I want a little girl" he whispered in her ear. Ginny smirked, "well, I think it's a little boy, call it mother's instinct".


	13. Chapter 13

**Ahhh, I'm so sorry for taking this unforgivable amount of time to write this, I just wasn't sure what to write. Ugh, that's a really lame excuse but hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently after my exams-i've got two freaking weeks of exams every day. WHY DO I HAVE TO HAVE TWO WEEKS OF EXAMS? Anyways, I probably won't be updating for a while because I'll be revising like a madwoman, and then I'll be extremely stressed out over my exam period-believe me, you do not want to be near me when I'm stressed. Hopefully I'll be able to update in roughly two and a half weeks. Um, yeah, so I hope you like this chapter, and please, please, please review. I really love to read your comments :)  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. :) **

When Draco woke up he felt a cold hand gripping his tightly, glancing down he saw his beautiful wife resting her head on the edge of his hospital bed. She had tear tracks down her cheeks and her hair was uncombed. Draco's eyes softened and turned on his side, wincing slightly at the movement, with his hand that wasn't being grasped by hers, he stroked her hair lovingly.

"Hermione, darling?" he whispered, not wanting her to sleep in that uncomfortable position, needing to feel her in his arms during the night.

Hermione stirred, she opened her eyes slowly. Seeing her husband sitting up and smiling slightly down at her she threw herself into his waiting arms. "I was so scared" she cried, more tears welling up in her eyes. His accident added to her pregnancy was messing up her emotions; she hit him on his shoulder. "How dare you worry me like that," she scolded, clutching Draco tightly.

Draco smiled, "I'm going to kill Flint," he promised her. Hermione smirked at him, "oh, he's already been taken care of" she said vaguely. The Slytherin stared at his Gryffindor in shocked admiration. "Did I mention I loved you?" he said, before kissing her.

"What were you doing down on the quidditch pitch, anyways?" Draco said when they separated. Hermione blushed, "I was going to surprise you", Draco raised his eyebrows, "Was there an occasion?" He ran through the dates in his head, beginning to worry he'd forgotten an anniversary.

Hermione took a deep breath - should she tell him? Should she wait until he was healed? Draco stared at her, "I know you're debating about telling me something, tell me".

Hermione didn't answer, instead she took his hand, intertwining their fingers. She stared at their hands, a Slytherin and a Gryffindor in love.

She stared into his eyes, slowly she put his hand on her stomach. He stared at her, confused. Hermione whispered "I'm sorry in advance for everything I'm going to put you through for the next nine months".

Realisation dawned on his face, his mouth opening in an 'o'. Hermione looked at him in apprehension, "are you mad?" she asked in a small voice. Draco grinned at her and turned to his side, staring in awe at Hermione's relatively flat stomach, before poking it, Hermione huffed indignantly and shoved his hand away. "There's a child in there" Draco said, "A child we made together, _our_ child" he was in shock.

Suddenly the weight of the situation hit him, "What if I'm a bad father?" he whispered, "I don't want to be like my father". Hermione pulled him close, "you'll be a better father than your father ever was, and I know it"

The next morning, both Blaise and Draco looked ready to explode; they wanted so badly to yell out to the world that they were about to be fathers.

When they saw each other in the corridors they had exchanged significant looks, before announcing to each other that their wives were pregnant. Ginny and Hermione began to giggle when Blaise and Draco stared at each other in shock.

"Ginny's pregnant?" Draco asked at the same time Blaise asked, "Hermione's pregnant?" They stared at each other for a few seconds before breaking out into grins. Blaise narrowed his eyes at Draco, "If you guys have a son, then you better keep him away from my little girl, you hear me?" Ginny rolled her eyes before walking ahead with Hermione. "We're having a boy, Blaise" she called over her shoulder.

Harry and Ron had been gobsmacked when they heard, "Of course it's the Slytherin's" Ron groaned, but he smiled at the two couples and congratulated them. Harry smirked at them, having picked up on some Slytherin traits, "I'm not too surprised about Hermione though, I mean she and Draco were at it like rabbits during the first week and a half after they got married". Hermione spluttered indignantly whilst Draco just smirked in reply.

Ron pursed his lips, "I'm kind of curious to see Hermione and Malfoy's kid, it'll be a genius". Hermione suddenly gasped, "Draco, we have to tell my mum" Draco forced a smile, "Well, at least your whole family won't be there," he said in relief. Hermione smiled sadly at her husband, "Draco, mum's probably going to announce it to everyone and then get everyone together just to annoy Aunt Amelia". Draco groaned and put his head in his hands, muttering something about crazy in-laws.

"Hermione, Draco, I wasn't expecting to see you today" Hermione's mum smiled despite her surprise and led them into the living room; it was another family gathering but the young couple had originally declined the invitation because they wanted to spend some time together without the stress of exams looming over them. Hermione was now officially three months pregnant and they'd decided to announce it to her family—it would be hard to explain to her muggle relatives how they knew about her condition after only 3 weeks, and muggle were often advised to wait until after the first trimester before announcing it. Ralph nodded at Draco and his daughter raced towards Draco, wrapping her small arms around his legs. Draco chuckled and picked her up, resting her on his hip. She began to play with his blonde hair; something that would usually make the Slytherin shriek in horror and run to the bathroom to fix it. Hermione grinned as she watched her husband interact with the small child. She smiled and kissed Draco on the cheek before going into the kitchen to find her mum.

"Hermione, dear, are you sure you don't want any wine?" Aunt Amelia smiled at Hermione in a sickly sweet way. Hermione shook her head, "no, no, Amelia, I'm fine with water". Draco wrapped an arm around her waist and took a sip of his own water; they'd agreed that neither of them would drink any alcoholic beverages throughout Hermione's pregnancy. Ms Granger looked at the couple with narrowed eyes, "there isn't something that the two of you want to _announce_ is there?" Draco paled and drank more of his water, trying to avoid his mother-in-law's look. Hermione glanced at him and Draco squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Um, well…you see…" she began, blushing. Aunt Amelia scoffed at her niece, "just spit it out" she muttered under her breath. Draco narrowed his eyes at Amelia, and Hermione nodded at him. "Hermione's pregnant," he said, staring at Amelia, who froze and dropped her glass of wine.

Ms Granger squealed in delight, but refrained from making any comments towards her sister. "Oh Hermione, Draco," was all she managed before leaping out of her seat and engulfing the two in a tight embrace. Amanda and Sebastien pursed their lips and glanced at Amelia, who look ready to burst. "They're far too young to start a family, it'll be another teen marriage sob story where Draco leaves and Hermione ends up in a talk show screaming at him" she said dismissively, "_my_ daughter and her husband have a stable family home to raise children in, unlike those two".

Draco opened his mouth to retort, his grey eyes stormy, but Hermione put a hand on his shoulder before standing up and throwing down her napkin. "I don't know what your problem is, but the least you can do is smile and pretend you're happy for me and my husband, just because your daughter's uterus seems too hostile to procreate doesn't mean that I should wait to start a family of my own, I'll have you know that I have many job offers with very prestigious companies and Draco's got a very stable business. We have a _manor_, which is more than your daughter and her husband have right now, we are financially secure and we're emotionally secure, Draco and I love each other and we will love this child with every fibre of our beings, so," Hermione narrowed her eyes at her paling aunt, "if you _dare _try and insult my marriage and my children, then I will not hesitate to rip you to shreds".

Draco was smirking proudly at his wife, but knew that the stress wasn't good for the baby, he got up and rested a hand on his enraged wife's shoulder before sitting her back down, rubbing soothing circles on the small of her back. Hermione pursed her lips after about five minutes of tense silence, "I'm sorry, mum, but right now I can't stand to be in the same room as Amelia," before standing up and racing out of the room, fighting back tears. Draco immediately stood up as well, he nodded at Ms Granger in apology, who nodded in return and kissed him on the cheek quickly.

"Hormones" she said knowingly, making Draco wince sympathetically, he took a deep breath before he left to console his distressed, pregnant wife.


	14. Author's Note

**Hi everyone :) I've just been reading your reviews and it struck me that I have no idea what gender the baby will be for Ginny and Blaise, or Draco and Hermione. I also have no idea what they'll look like or what their names will be, so I've decided to let you guys decide. Just add it into your reviews and I'll look through it after my exams. Thank you so much for continuing to read this and for all your reviews, and I look forward to reading your replies to this. **

**Bye, **

**TARDISdoctor**


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